wow. what a summer.

after a pretty dramatic 2012, we are having what looks like a pretty dramatic 2013 as well. without going into all the details (if you're curious, please ask us personally), we are transitioning out of our role at KCPC. though we are saddened by this loss and still processing all that happened, we are moving forward with a steadfast faith in the God who brought us through the past few years of our lives.

well, here are a few pictures to bring you up to speed on what's been happening the past few months:

trip to ocean city, MD
our wonderful S&L family sent us on a vacation after hearing the news of our departure from KCPC. this trip was full of many "firsts" for sammy. first time in a pool, first bike ride, first time on the beach. it was pretty spectacular.

edmonton, AB
our next trip took us to edmonton where my parents live. one of our favorite activities was going to the local swimming pool and discovering that sammy has absolutely no fear when it comes to water. a good thing?









the star of our trip was definitely sammy. he was such a trooper through many flights, car rides and endless meetings with people he's never seen before. all in all, he did really well. we were thrilled to introduce him to our many close friends and family.

as we end the sabbatical, i thought it'd be important to log some of the key events in these last nine months.

march 2011 - after a few months of prayer and discernment, min and i would decide to move on from inter-varsity after completing the second of two three-year commitments. my time with inter-varsity was a true blessing and much of who i am and how i think about and practice ministry is the result of that community and being a part of that mission.

we didn't know exactly what we would be going into and where we would be doing it, but we knew that we were ready to jump into that next adventure together. no matter how difficult or uncertain the path.

also in march, we would discover that min was pregnant for the first time! we were elated and though it raised all kinds of questions about where we wanted to the raise the baby and how we were going to time things, we received the news as a blessing and were thrilled to start this next stage of life as a family.

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mike and i are definitely not cool enough to be hipsters, but every now and then we like to pretend. this weekend we put on our chucks and ventured to main street.

we stopped by the farmers market at trout lake.

it was a beautiful day and the market was packed.

don't you love pictures of food?
















afterwards we took penny to the dog park right outside of the market area. penny is so awkward.














we then grabbed some coffee and hit up some consignment stores and the salvation army. i bought a cute side table for our guest room that i am planning on painting this week. pictures to come.



















yeah to relaxing weekends! what did you do this weekend?

our good friends anna, justin and baby teddy flew to vancouver for abe and soo's wedding. mike and i had a BLAST hosting them at our house during their time in vancouver.

we went to the richmond night market. yup that's mike holding teddy and me stuffing my face. mike with baby = shocking, me stuffing my face = normal.

cool night shot by justin.
we also took a trip to whistler together. we were worried that the weather would spoil our plans but it turned out to be a beautiful day.
beautiful british columbia.
and of course the boys did a lot of this.
bye kim family. we miss you guys!

a couple weeks ago we had the privilege of going out to dinner with two of our favorite people, brian and shannon. mike and i have been wanting to try the food at phnom penh for awhile so we thought this would be a great opportunity.

the restaurant is in chinatown surrounded by small markets and chinese stores. it doesn't look like much from the outside but there is often a wait during peak lunch and dinner hours.

we ordered the fried chicken wings and the butter beef which are the most popular items on the menu. we also ordered a few other items but they were not as memorable.
the fried chicken wings were amazing. i could eat them all day. they are topped with garlic and onions, and comes with a black pepper lime sauce. oh so yummy and definitely worth the trip.
the butter beef. i know i know it doesn't look very appetizing, but it is very good. butter beef is a plate of thinly sliced rib eye covered in a soy vinaigrette, with cilantro, garlic and other spices. it is barely cooked. i was a bit taken back when the waitress brought it to the table but i'm glad i gave it try. definitely will try it again.

mike and min give phnom penh 4 stars out of 5. check it out and try the chicken wings and the butter beef, you definitely won't regret it.

this past weekend we joined a few friends and went hiking in squamish at garibaldi provincial park. can i just say i'm horribly out of shape. the website said the hike was moderate, um, no. i struggled up the mountain and was on the verge of falling apart on the way down. luckily i was among great company.


here is a picture of the lake taken by our friend bill. beautiful no? it was absolutely breathtaking.



here is a picture of the happy group.

for locals, the hike is definitely worth it. we went through taylor meadows on the way up and bypassed it on the way down. the wild flowers were not in full bloom when we went but come august i'm sure the meadows will be a great place to be. on the way down make sure you hit the barrier view point. it is amazing as you can see below.